Intro. from Maryland
Deborah Donndelinger
Hi all,
Just joined the list a few days ago and wanted to say a quick hello.
I live in Maryland and am the mother to three children ages 3, 5, and 7.
Growing up, I spent 8 years in Europe -- 4 in the U.K. and 4 in Spain.
I went to a variety of schools ranging from a formal large spanish
school to a small eclectic international school.
I homeschool because I don't trust large bureaurcratic systems, I don't
want to replicate my experience of doing it only for the grades, I don't
want school to replace family, and because of other lifestyle choices
related to health and diet.
I have worked with a curriculum called Enki that appealed to me based on
its foundation. While I still use some of their materials, I got stuck
in the trap of losing my own creativity as I try to implement this
"expert" approach that uses creativity -- how ironic. I am on several
homeschooling lists but tend to get the feeling I am once again copying
others and losing my own sense of connection -- so I decided to balance
things by joining an unschooling list and listening and learning.
Glad this is an beginners list and look forward to seeing what unfolds
... I am a bit nervous as I don't think that I am the maverick (don't
know if that is the right word) that it takes to be a true unschooler.
My image is that unschoolers are willing to buck all conventions -- how
ironic because I am quite unconventional in many areas of my life but I
also so crave some social conformity and acceptance.
So I look forward to dispelling some old fears and preconceptions and
continue the path of finding my family's own center and path,
Cheers,
Deborah
Just joined the list a few days ago and wanted to say a quick hello.
I live in Maryland and am the mother to three children ages 3, 5, and 7.
Growing up, I spent 8 years in Europe -- 4 in the U.K. and 4 in Spain.
I went to a variety of schools ranging from a formal large spanish
school to a small eclectic international school.
I homeschool because I don't trust large bureaurcratic systems, I don't
want to replicate my experience of doing it only for the grades, I don't
want school to replace family, and because of other lifestyle choices
related to health and diet.
I have worked with a curriculum called Enki that appealed to me based on
its foundation. While I still use some of their materials, I got stuck
in the trap of losing my own creativity as I try to implement this
"expert" approach that uses creativity -- how ironic. I am on several
homeschooling lists but tend to get the feeling I am once again copying
others and losing my own sense of connection -- so I decided to balance
things by joining an unschooling list and listening and learning.
Glad this is an beginners list and look forward to seeing what unfolds
... I am a bit nervous as I don't think that I am the maverick (don't
know if that is the right word) that it takes to be a true unschooler.
My image is that unschoolers are willing to buck all conventions -- how
ironic because I am quite unconventional in many areas of my life but I
also so crave some social conformity and acceptance.
So I look forward to dispelling some old fears and preconceptions and
continue the path of finding my family's own center and path,
Cheers,
Deborah
Rod Thomas
Deborah
What is schooling like in Spain? We have had 2 exchange students from
Spain. With one, we got into some very heated debates over
homeschooling, I didn't even try to discuss unschooling with him.
Just curious
You can email me offline if you wish
flyerrod@...
Kathy
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Deborah
Donndelinger
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 7:54 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] Intro. from Maryland
What is schooling like in Spain? We have had 2 exchange students from
Spain. With one, we got into some very heated debates over
homeschooling, I didn't even try to discuss unschooling with him.
Just curious
You can email me offline if you wish
flyerrod@...
Kathy
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Deborah
Donndelinger
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 7:54 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] Intro. from Maryland
Deborah Donndelinger
Hi Kathy,
Here's what I remember -- but it's a pretty limited memory. It's not a
fair characterization of the spanish schools as we were foreigners --
but it does give a sense of what it's like to go to school as a
foreigner anywhere ...
We were put in the spanish schools without speaking spanish - it was a
very difficult experience for me and my brother -- I was glad to have
learned spanish but I think I could have done it a different way. In my
first school, as soon as I learned spanish well enough I told my
teacher my mother needed us at home and we skipped school every
afternoon for months ... the only reason we were caught by my mother is
that we were walking around town and she saw us. We tried to convince
her it was a holiday but she didn't believe us .... (chuckle)
Then I was in a small eclectic international school called Yes and then
called Zoon. I was in a class with three children and their mother.
That's where I learned to hate art --it was the first subject I got a
poor grade in. We had a lot of free time and all hung out in the living
room of the school. Some pretty laid back teachers as well ...
Then we went to a large spanish school -- we had to take two public
buses, wear uniforms, and the other children were mean to us. My
brother still didn't speak much spanish and every day the teachers would
bring him to me in my class cause he was crying. I remember in Math
that they divide differently than I was taught -- (they just do the long
division going up rather than down). It was a frustrating experience
cause math was the only thing I could learn because there was still a
language barrier.
Then I went to a really cool international school that was quite hard. I
remember learning algebra and loving it. I also remember having to sing
in front of my class and getting a poor grade -- very embarrassing for me.
Thanks for asking Kathy -- it was a very formative experience - quite
liberating and something I wouldn' t have done in the States. When I
returned, I quickly started following all the rules and getting good
grades. Interesting enough, when I returned to the states they didn't
know where to place me. They tested me and placed me two grade ahead
and three grades ahead in math. It wasn't that I had the knowledge to
be placed ahead (well I did in math) - I had the thinking skills and
processing skills. So despite not learning content in Spain due to the
language, I sure learned something.
Happy Thanksgiving to the U.S. folks here,
Cheers,
Deborah
Rod Thomas wrote:
Here's what I remember -- but it's a pretty limited memory. It's not a
fair characterization of the spanish schools as we were foreigners --
but it does give a sense of what it's like to go to school as a
foreigner anywhere ...
We were put in the spanish schools without speaking spanish - it was a
very difficult experience for me and my brother -- I was glad to have
learned spanish but I think I could have done it a different way. In my
first school, as soon as I learned spanish well enough I told my
teacher my mother needed us at home and we skipped school every
afternoon for months ... the only reason we were caught by my mother is
that we were walking around town and she saw us. We tried to convince
her it was a holiday but she didn't believe us .... (chuckle)
Then I was in a small eclectic international school called Yes and then
called Zoon. I was in a class with three children and their mother.
That's where I learned to hate art --it was the first subject I got a
poor grade in. We had a lot of free time and all hung out in the living
room of the school. Some pretty laid back teachers as well ...
Then we went to a large spanish school -- we had to take two public
buses, wear uniforms, and the other children were mean to us. My
brother still didn't speak much spanish and every day the teachers would
bring him to me in my class cause he was crying. I remember in Math
that they divide differently than I was taught -- (they just do the long
division going up rather than down). It was a frustrating experience
cause math was the only thing I could learn because there was still a
language barrier.
Then I went to a really cool international school that was quite hard. I
remember learning algebra and loving it. I also remember having to sing
in front of my class and getting a poor grade -- very embarrassing for me.
Thanks for asking Kathy -- it was a very formative experience - quite
liberating and something I wouldn' t have done in the States. When I
returned, I quickly started following all the rules and getting good
grades. Interesting enough, when I returned to the states they didn't
know where to place me. They tested me and placed me two grade ahead
and three grades ahead in math. It wasn't that I had the knowledge to
be placed ahead (well I did in math) - I had the thinking skills and
processing skills. So despite not learning content in Spain due to the
language, I sure learned something.
Happy Thanksgiving to the U.S. folks here,
Cheers,
Deborah
Rod Thomas wrote:
> Deborah
> What is schooling like in Spain? We have had 2 exchange students from
> Spain. With one, we got into some very heated debates over
> homeschooling, I didn't even try to discuss unschooling with him.
> Just curious
> You can email me offline if you wish
> flyerrod@...
> Kathy
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected]
> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Deborah
> Donndelinger
> Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 7:54 AM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: [unschoolingbasics] Intro. from Maryland
>
>
>
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